Two Paths One Past
by louiseemiko
Summary: 6 years after the Titans split, Robin now Nightwing protects the streets of Bludhaven, Starfire now under another name is an assassin working for Slade. The two cross paths one night and stories of the past are unveiled.
1. Chapter 1

_**A/N**_

_Welcome! Here's a little pre-reading info, please read before starting the story._

_The Titans have been disbanded for 6 years, the ages of the current Titans are:_

_Robin: 27_

_Starfire: 26_

_Raven: 26_

_Beast Boy: 27_

_Cyborg: 29_

_Other Titans will be added into later chapters, upon introducing them I will give an age-range of each one._

_Enjoy!_

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Raven and Beast Boy

Raven stared out of her kitchen window aimlessly, not really thinking about anything or anyone in particular. The clock on the kitchen wall ticked loudly throughout the small but impressively decorated house. She cradled the hot mug of herbal tea in her hands as she watched the snow fall delicately outside, a small smile appeared on her lips as she sensed her husband creep up behind her and wrap his arms around her waist.

"Do you remember the first snow at Titans Tower?"

Her smiled expanded, but only slightly as she nodded, her collar-bone level purple hair swaying as she did. Garfield tightened his hold on his wife's waist and nuzzled his head in the crook of her neck. His green tousled hair merging with her purple shine.

"Of course, Star was so confused about it. It took nearly two hours for us to explain to her what it was." She sighed quietly, her hands gripping the mug tighter.

"I miss her too Rae, I know she's out there somewhere. I can't believe for a moment she would up and leave without a word to any of us. That's not Starfire. She was the most caring person I ever met."

Raven nodded again, her best friend had disappeared almost 4 years ago without a word to her, to anyone. Sure, she was upset after the Titans disbanded, but she wouldn't just leave like that. They had kept in touch for a year after the split; she seemed to be adjusting to earth even better than she had at the tower. What worried Raven was that she could no longer locate Starfire's soul, her energy. It was if she had…died.

"It's the annual Christmas party soon; we'll get to see everyone again. Things will get better"

She thought it best to lighten the mood, Garfield missed Starfire as much as she did, and it killed her to feel his sadness. Her and Gar had retired from the superhero life after Starfire's disappearance. They had both decided to take a backseat and take a shot at having a normal civilian life. As normal as a half demon and shape-shifter could live anyway. The thought of losing one another in battle was too much to compromise. They were married on Azerath last year, it was the best day of their lives; everyone had come to celebrate the union of the two, everyone except Starfire. She would have loved it.

Garfield nodded with a smile. He looked forward to the Christmas party all year, it was his favourite time, spent with his favourite friends; his family. Although seeing them all still wearing the superhero cape, made him often question why he hung his up. One look at Raven was all he needed to remind himself.

If ever the titans needed help, he and Raven would be there in a heartbeat, but they preferred to stay on the side lines. And the fact that they had been trying for a baby for the past few months put a spanner in the works. He looked over to his wife lovingly and smiled. He never dreamed he would marry the moody, reserved lilac haired teen who he secretly admired for years. He never dreamed she would accept his proposal, he never dreamed that Raven would be this kind-hearted loving woman she was today.

Her thoughts also moved over to the titans, her small family. She wondered how they all were, how they were enjoying their adult lives. She thought of Nightwing, how hurt he was after Starfire's disappearance. Sure, the two were destined for each other. But the 21 year old ward of Batman had other ideas. They were a couple for the last few years at the tower, then after the disbandment Nightwing had insisted they break up, as he had a role to take on in Bludhaven; a role that didn't involve Starfire.

He had broken her heart that night, but she remained her strong Tameranien self and took it on the chin like a true warrior. She had stayed in Jump City along with the rest of the titans; excluding Nightwing, and made a life for herself as model and a protector of her only earthen home.

She thought of Cyborg, her half human, half robot titan brother. He was happy, he and Bumble Bee had fallen in love not long after their constant encounters on missions; but neither of them had given up the superhero role. Cyborg lived and breathed at Titans Tower still, but also had a home with Bee. She wasn't sure the reason of this arrangement, but it somehow worked for them.

Garfield looked over at the kitchen clock, his arms still draped around his wife.

"Four thirty AM? Jeez, we had better get some sleep. Have a long trip to Gotham in a couple of days, and a short amount of baby-making time in between" he smirked, his hands roaming his wife's abdomen.

Raven smiled, finishing the last of her tea and followed her husband into the bedroom.


	2. Chapter 2

**Nightwing**

4:30AM. It was always 4:30AM when he woke from his sleep. Why? He didn't know. Sleep was impossible these days. Perhaps it was because of his inability to sleep deeply, being a superhero demands awareness 24/7. Or perhaps it was because he was the most miserable he had been since he was 9 years old.

Richard sighed and sat up in bed, removing the covers as he swung his legs over the side. He sighed again and held his head in his hands, his fingers reaching up into his matted ebony bedhead.

"Dick?"

A female voice echoed in the dark room followed by a pair of arms that wrapped themselves around Richard's waist. He released his head from his hands and stared straight ahead at the wall, the woman pulled herself towards him, resting her head in his lap. Her red hair surrounded her face as she nuzzled her way in at his torso.

"Dick, what's wrong?"

He looked down at her, and sighed again. He removed her arms from around him and stood to his feet, her arms and head falling to the bed.

"Are you going to talk to me?" She asked quietly, placing her elbows in the bed and leaning her head in her hands. She stared over at him, her expression a mixture of impatience and hurt.

"Go back to sleep Babs, I'm just restless." He walked out of the room grabbing his robe on the way out. Once closing the door behind him, Richard sighed again. Why did he feel like all he did was hurt Babs over and over again? He loved her, no doubt about it; but he wasn't sure it was the right kind of love. He loved her, but he wasn't in love with her. She was his best friend since a young age, but was that enough to make a relationship from?

He walked into the kitchen, and made his way over to the sink grabbing himself a glass of water. He looked out of the window above the sink as he sipped slowly. The sky was still dark; winter was definitely here in Bludhaven. Maybe he should go out on patrol? That always cleared his head.

He finished his glass of water and placed it in the sink. As he turned around to make his way into his Night cave, a pretty redhead stood leaning against the doorframe, her arms crossed over her petite figure; she looked close to perfection in an oversized white tee he knew was his. He smiled at her softly, his eyes communicating an apology to her.

She smiled sadly at him and made her way over to him, placing her hands on his bare chest she stared up at him "You gonna let me know what's going on up there anytime soon?" He took her hands in his and caressed them gently, bringing them up to his mouth and kissing them gently.

He never spoke a word to her, he didn't have to. She wasn't stupid; she knew he wasn't in love with her, that didn't mean she wanted it to end though. Pathetic as it was, she prayed he would one day love her same amount he had loved _her_. The other girl. Or maybe she was the other girl?

"You know I love you Babs. But I-"

"Don't, Dick. Just don't." She cut him off, pulling her hands back from his and stepping back.

He sighed heavily and ran his hand through his black hair, his fingers scraping back his floppy fringe from his handsome face.

"I know. I know it will always be her Dick. No matter what I do, I'll never be her." She hugged herself sadly, her arms being her only comfort right now.

"We've been together for almost 2 years; I've learned this is never going to change. I don't want to be the other girl anymore Dick. I'm worth more than that."

He nodded in agreement, never speaking a word. He pried her arms from around her and pulled her towards him, gathering her in his strong arms and held her. A small tear escaped her eye, as she gathered herself together. She was good at that, she was a strong person. She let out a small but breathless laugh as he kissed the top of her head.

"I'm the commissioner's daughter for god's sake, who wouldn't want me, right?" She smiled. Making a joke of this situation was the only thing to do right now; her typical defence mechanism. The two stood in the kitchen till the morning light poured through the window, cradling each other, saying their final goodbyes as lovers.

The next day, Babs moved out.


	3. Chapter 3

**A/N**

**OK, so I have decided to just keep it at 3 chapter for now, until I receive some reviews to continue on with the story. If you like it, please please review! It would mean the world to me! And I kinda really love this story and would love to continue on with some support.**

**Thank you to those who are reading!**

**X**

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**Starfire**

A petite woman with flaming auburn hair that whirled around her in the cold bitter night sat at the edge of the roof of an apartment building. She looked down at the gritty city beneath her in wonder, her long tan limbs kicking playfully over the edge.

Though it was evident that winter had arrived, the girl was barefoot and wearing nothing but pyjama shorts and a tee. She swung her head back and forth in a nodding motion; anyone who came across her would assume she was a crazy person that should be on her way to Arkham. She stopped abruptly and closed her eyes slowly. Her chest rising slowly as she sat in stillness in the wintery night. A delicate snowflake landed gently on the tip of her nose, opening one eye slowly she smiled. She touched the snowflake with the tip of her finger and let out an innocent giggle gently.

She wasn't sure why she loved times like this. Times where she could just sit all by herself on what seemed like the top of the world. She loved the silence up here, the patience, and the ability to do whatever she wanted. She felt free.

It wasn't that she disliked her job, it was that at times she often felt it was…wrong. Not right for her. She had been trained well, by the best man she knew. The man, who had taught her everything, had given her a home when she had nothing.

Her work required strong concentration, strong determination; and a persistent aim to please. She peered down the edge of the building, looking down at all the men, women and children running around like mice below her. She wondered where they were all going in such a rush; did they work for a master too?

She only ever had the opportunity to socialise with civilians when she was undercover. Her boss rarely gave her those types of jobs as he had said she resembled a famous celebrity too much and she would draw too much attention. She often wondered if she should track down this celebrity, just to see if there was any likeness between the two. It would be quite amusing to find another like herself.

She continued her stare on the fast-paced world below her and sighed, she really wished she could walk amongst them, but she had made a promise. A promise to the man who saved her life. Who nursed her back to health when she was hanging on the border of life and death. Not that she remembered any of that. Come to think of it, she didn't remember much of her past.

Did she have a family once upon a time? If so, where were they now? Why did they leave her alone on this planet? Why could she never remember being a child? So many questions buzzed through her mind like angry wasps. These thoughts haunted her often, perhaps she had done something unforgivable and that's why she was born into this world so alone?

She closed her eyes tightly, wanting the bad thoughts to disappear as quickly as they came. No, she should not be thinking like this. She was an assassin, and assassins do not have feelings. She was often told she was 'lucky' she was Slade's number one assassin. Told she was extremely privileged to have such a 'strong work ethic.'

Oh how wrong they were. She did not block out these memories, she just completely and honestly could not remember them. She could not remember why she had different abilities to the rest of the agents, why could she fly? Why did she have the ability to produce solar energy? Yes, Slade had trained her to do so, but why hadn't he taught the other agents how to fly and shoot energy too?

Suddenly sparked open as the buzzing sound of her watch sounded in the empty night. Bold digital lettering shone out in the vast dark abyss: 4:30AM. She stood to her feet instantly, pressing a number of buttons on her watch device in the process, a computerised male voice emerged from the small device.

"Job for agent A'ndr. Report to base."

"Got it." She replied, her voice was solid and confident, but there was a certain sweetness to it. Starfire lifted off into the air, her body twisting and turning as she levitated down the building until she reached an apartment balcony, with patio doors wide open.

Starfire landed effortlessly on the tiled floor and headed through the doors, she rushed into her bedroom, pulling her large metal wardrobe doors open rapidly. Reaching up she grabbed an assortment of leather clothing and headed to the bathroom.

10 minutes later, her curvaceous yet petite figure emerged from the bathroom clad in tight leather pants and a matching leather high neck bodice. She pulled on a pair of black elbow-length gloves and black calf-length leather boots with a steel cap base. She wrestled with an array of gadgets which she positioned in various hiding places around her outfit.

Running over to the bedside table, she picked up a black eyeless mask; she always wondered why her boss insisted she wear it, when it never even hid her eyes. She positioned it on her face, and ran a hand through her long auburn mane which curled gently at the ends around her shoulders and down her back.

She headed back to her wardrobe and entered a code into the disguised safe that sat at the bottom, slowly the safe opened revealing a collection of guns and assorted weapons. She picked up a small silver hand gun and bullets, hid it beneath her belt, closed and locked the safe.

She headed back for the patio doors and stood on the balcony, her eyes glowed green in the night and she headed out on to the streets of the Bludhaven.


	4. Chapter 4

**Chapter 4 **

**Cyborg**

A loud yawn bellowed down the empty corridors at Titans Tower. In the far left quarter, a half human half robot man stretched his robotic limbs as he turned his back to the mother ship of computers. The only light in the tower came from these several electrifyingly bright monitors, and assorted colourful buttons. Cyborg continued his arm exercises before turning back around the face the computer screens.

"Four thirty? Oh damn."

He muttered irritably under his breath. He had lost all track of time busying himself in monitoring Jump City cameras and arranging Titan folders ready for the new Teen Titans to take over; this wouldn't have been the first time he lost track of time.

He placed his right arm in front of him, pressing buttons on his integrated arm computer and sighed heavily. He switched off his communication device hours ago, eager to have some peace and quiet. Bee was going to kill him. Moments later, the computer buzzed to life, as did his many voicemails from his estranged girlfriend Bumble Bee. He didn't even attempt to listen to them, instead deleting them instantly. He turned back to the computers and began switching off each monitor before heading out of the communications room.

His shoulder torch sparked to life as he walked aimlessly down the corridors, the many memories of him and his friends that lived within these very walls bringing him silent joy. He missed them so much, he missed when his life was easier, when life was just about taking down bad guys, playing video games and eating pizza. Not having to think about the future, or lack of.

For weeks Victor had been avoiding his girlfriend who was more than keen to settle down and begin discussions of getting married and starting a family. Not that that wasn't what he wanted, he just didn't see it possible; him being part robot and all. He didn't want to have the conversation, so he never let an opportunity to have it arise. He knew it wasn't fair on her, but that's life. It's not fair.

His one robotic eye suddenly flashed red as he received an incoming video message. Accepting the call instantly, Cyborg stopped in his tracks and stared at his monitored arm.

"Saw you were still awake, trouble in Jump?"

Nightwing's voice echoed around the halls loudly, combined with the buzz of the screen. Cyborg winced slightly as he sheepishly rubbed the back of his head. Cyborg and Nightwing had kept in touch every day since the Titans departure, Cyborg was Nightwing's eyes and ears for Jump, and Starfire. He liked to know how she was doing, if she was ok.

"Um...No not really, just fixing a few technological issues at the towers mainframe. What are you doing up?" Cyborg knew that Nightwing knew he was lying, but he said it regardless. As close as they were as friends, there wasn't a person in the world who could begin to understand what he was going through right now.

"Me and Babs broke up. It wasn't working, hasn't been for a while, although I'm sure you knew that already". His tone was serious, yet showed no hint of sadness; only frustration. Cyborg couldn't help but feel for the man; he'd been through a lot these past six years with Starfire's disappearance and the numerous rumours circulating that _he_ was the reason why she left, of course the titans knew differently. She would never leave because of him; she loved him too much; even If he was too stupid to see it. Not to mention the constant accusation of being a drug addict he received; he was sad yes, but he was certainly no drug addict; despite what his so called father thought.

The sound of a motorcycle engine revving up sounded in the background of the call, Cyborg realised Nightwing was sat on his bike, probably about to go out on patrol; he knew he did this when he was upset or stressed about something.

"Be careful out there man, Bludhaven ain't a nice place to be roaming around at this time." Cyborg warned him, to which he received a small laughing response from his former teammate, "I think you're forgetting I was trained by the Batman." Cyborg also let out a small laugh in response whilst shaking his head.

"I guess so, just take it easy man. Don't forget about the Christmas party on Friday; if you turn up with cuts and bruises you might lose you're superior crown" he teased, earning a small smile from Nightwing. "I won't forget; I'll be there. Between you and me, it's the only thing I have to look forward to right now." Another weak smile: another cry for help. With that Nightwing ended the call, leaving Cyborg alone in the darkness of Titans Tower once more.

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**Nightwing**

Racing through the bitter cold streets of Bludhaven, his bike twisted and swerved around every dumpster can, every alley cat and every homeless drug addict. The lights from the fast bike would become a yellow-white blur to anyone who was quick enough to see it. He loved the speed, the adrenaline of riding free with no aims or objectives; sure he was looking out for anything suspicious, but he was also releasing his frustrations with life. It reminded him of when he used to fly with her during battle.

He disliked the fact that she could pick him up and carry him wherever she wanted to, but he secretly loved the feeling of her skin against his; the way their bodies attuned to one another when they were up in the earths air. Maybe it was from all those years in the circus; flying the trapeze. Either way it was a good feeling; he needed more of that right now.

His bike suddenly came to a stop as his heat radar on this bike, began signalling there was something above him; something with incredible heat at that. Nightwing looked up only to see two tall abandoned building that stood each side of him in the alley, towering him like giants. There was nothing up there, maybe an animal? No, an animal wouldn't have a heat signal that big. Another homeless guy? No…can't be that either, he passed three on his way and none of them even appeared on the radar.

Nightwing turned off the engine of the bike abruptly, not wanting to draw any unwanted attention whatsoever. He adjusted his mask ever so slightly from the windswept ride and pulled out his grappling hook. Pointing it up to the top of one of the building, he let the hook shoot out and settle tightly on the edge before pulling his way up.

With each step that was taken up the building, he felt a small heat burn in the pit of his stomach. Was he scared? Impossible, he had fought the most sinister of criminals without even batting an eyelash, but something about this was different. He wasn't even sure anything would even be up here, let alone anyone.

With one final pull he reached the top of the building, silently pulling his upper half over the edge. He kept his body low to the rooftop floor, surveying the area in front of him before he made any quick movements. He stared ahead, into the dark emptiness of the building's rooftop studying every object; broken boxes, severed metal pipes and the occasional pitter-patter of rat's feet running across the ground; nothing unusual at all. He took another step forward, his staff at the ready for any unprepared attacks that might ruin his stealth mode, and then he saw it.

Clear as day, ahead of the boxes in front of him. There was the smallest of gaps in the large wooden boxes but he saw it pass through them; that intense green light. That very same green light that haunted his dreams for the past six years, almost sending him into a state of madness. Too caught up in his own head, all rationality and logic slipping away he ran through the wooden boxes, oblivious to the splinters he had just received.

STOP!

He wasn't even sure if those words actually came out of his mouth or if his brain was too out of sync with the rest of his body, but he was definitely thinking it. Leaping across the rooftop like a hungry cheetah he could still make out the green light ahead of him travelling much faster than he ever could. He watched it leap to the next rooftop building and then to the next, him following every movement without thinking to move his legs. How was he doing this? Could he suddenly fly? Anything seemed possible right now.

The green stopped, and so did he. He approached it ever so slowly, careful not to scare it away. It was still so far from him, but he could now make out a human figure. It had stopped so still he had to second guess if it was even moving in the first place. Standing around 20 meters away, at the other side of the rooftop edge it just stared back at him. He could only make out two green orbs against a slender figure, no facial features but it was definitely a person. Two arms, two legs, two marvellous green lights for eyes; His mouth began dry and his heart tight underneath his black Kevlar suit.

"E-Easy…I won't hurt you" he spoke softly, extending his hand out as he ushered forward slightly. Why did he feel the need to be so protective over it? The green tilted its head slightly looking at the man in curiosity, before raising its arm in his direction in a threatening tone. He could make out a small fist pointing towards him, if this was…what he thought it was then he would need that same fist to illuminate that brilliant green to confirm his sanity.

Please. Please be you Starfire.

The green lowered its fist slowly, not removing its stare from Nightwing. He hadn't realised he had stopped moving towards it before it signalled this sign of retreat. "I-Is it you?" his voice was raspy, barely even audible. Surely she wouldn't have heard that, not even the rats on the rooftops could have heard that. He felt his eyes water beneath his mask slightly, he was certain his heart hadn't beaten this entire time.

He blinked for a second, and suddenly a loud earth-shattering explosion erupted in the streets dark empty streets beneath them, car alarms blaring loudly throughout the night. What the hell was that? He turned his head ever so slightly towards the direction of the sound, but just as quick as he did the green turned and retreated down the side of the building.

"NO! Come back!" screaming his heart out, he ran towards the edge where it once stood and caught a glimpse of red silk fall into the darkness of the streets. He couldn't move any quicker if he had tried, attaching his grappling hook to the edge of the building, he found himself flying down the building the same way she had seconds before. His staff clattering to the floor, the metal collision sounding much harsher than it should.

Nightwing's feet touched the floor, too hard for Batman's liking but he didn't care. He searched every direction looking for it, running through alleyway after alleyway. Looking behind and inside dumpsters, asking the same homeless men he had flew past earlier if they had seen it, and receiving an unwelcoming verbal slur of attacks from each one as they clung to their cheap wine bottles and waved their dirtied fingernail in his face.

He sighed in defeat, he wanted to find it so bad but he really had to find out what that explosion was about, no doubt the police won't even know where to start and will be needing his help. He jogged back to his motorcycle, it surprisingly still in the same place he left it and rode out towards the direction of the noise.

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**Bludhaven City Centre **

"Nightwing! Buddy! Where the hell have ya been? This went off more than ten minutes ago!" Officer John Lockleary was the chief of Bludhaven Police, and an avid Nightwing fan. John Lockleary was a good man, who enjoyed junk food a little too much. His grey balding hair, grey beard and matching moustache showed age, whilst his sea blue eyes showed honesty. He was the only person in the police force who Nightwing actually trusted; the rest of them showed him hostility when he first came to Bludhaven, claiming he was just after the fame that came with the superhero title. John was the only one to inform him of things the force liked to keep hidden in the police archives. If Nightwing needed anything, John would find it.

He waddled over to Nightwing, clutching his belt in the process. Nightwing had no idea why, his trousers were hardly escaping that large stomach. "Sorry John got held up with something. What happened here?" he studied the area behind John, seeing a TV store blown to pieces, a small fire still burning inside with fire fighters chattering whilst extinguishing it. "Was anyone hurt?"

"Nah, shop closed at 9pm, woke a few babies up from the apartments over the road, but that's about it" John chuckled. "They reckon it was a bomb, no idea why; this shop was a burnout before it even exploded. Nothing valuable to steal here, other than a few retro TV sets."

Nightwing nodded in acknowledgment. This night seemed to be more than a little weird; something strange was definitely going on. "Any footage or anything left behind?" he enquired. John stroked his beard in thought, he didn't recall anyone saying they had seen anything on surveillance, but maybe there was more proof than a surveillance camera. "Can't say I've seen anything Wing, I'll have a talk with the boys once this mess is cleared up and I'll let you know of anything."

Nightwing nodded again. He looked up to the top of the building around him hoping to catch another glimpse of the entrancing green, but there was nothing up there other than the small flakes of snow that had started falling to the already cold ground. He let out a quiet sigh, not loud enough for John to hear and ran his fingers through his black hair.

Please let it be you.

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**A/N **

**I hope you enjoyed this chapter! I really enjoyed writing it, writing suspense is sooo much fun, I do promise there will be a lot more action in the next chapter, so if you like then please please review.**

**Also, thank you to those who have reviewed already, its nice to know I have you all interested!**


	5. Chapter 5

**AN - Arghhh been reaaaally slow at updating I'm sorry to those reading! Had a hectic few weeks moving and then there's been Christmas and New Years blah blah blah...anyway on with the story, enjoy chapter 5!**

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Chapter 5 –

**Starfire**

A petite masked woman stood above an injured aging man aiming a handgun at his forehead, her left foot pressed deeply onto his constantly rising chest.

"P-Please don't! Who are you! What did I do wrong?" the man whimpered, his bald head shining brightly in the moonlight as he cowered in fear of this woman that was twice as small as him, but seemingly twice as strong.

She looked down to him, her face edging closer towards his "You should not expect to get away with such wickedness" she growled, pulling the trigger. The sound of the bullet shot echoed from the rooftops of Blüdhaven's gritty buildings.

She stared down at the lifeless man and smirked slightly; touching an earpiece hidden in her ear she spoke gently "your jobs are seriously getting too easy for me."

The man on the other end replied in a cold monotone voice "Patience, the worst is yet to come." She sneered and spoke back "What do you want me to do now?" The man hissed in a raspy voice "You know what to do" and with that, he ended the conversation and she ripped the earpiece from her ear and held it in the palm of her hand as she created a ball of green energy that disintegrated the small gadget into pieces.

She turned the deceased on his side and began rooting through the pockets of his grey trench coat, her fingers lingering in the inside of the pocket, and quickly grasped a small glass bottle with a clear substance inside; she had found what she was looking for.

She placed the bottle in a hidden pocket at the side of one of her knee length leather boots. Suddenly the sounds of sirens blared throughout the streets of Blüdhaven. She took one last look down at the man's body, a small look of sorrow forming in her eyes, was she sad? Did she feel guilty? She hated this part of her job; taking another's life. It didn't feel right, even if they were criminals like her master told her. With another sigh, the woman ran towards the edge of the rooftop building and jumped.

As her delicate feet touched the cement ground slowly, she still couldn't shake the guilt that had started to consume her after looking at the man's body. Suddenly there was a terrible pain in her head that bothered her, it was twisting and turning so fast she almost threw up, clutching her hand to her head quickly she leaned on the building next to her to stabilise herself from the painful knot that now seemed to engulf her entire body. Her arms, legs, head; everything felt heavy, everything felt exhausted.

She had killed before this man, but never received this internal torment before in her life. Her body slid down the side of the building slowly, her hand still holding on to her irritated head. Reaching the ground the young woman closed her sparkling green eyes tightly; she crawled over to an alleyway and hid behind a dumpster just as the sirens became louder and clearer and gathered herself in the fetal position.

"Shit."

Her teeth grinded together in frustration, she had to get out of here but this pain was unavoidable, it was so persistent! There was no way she would be able to fly with this searing pain inside her head. Taking in deep shallow breaths slowly, And'r began to mutter words of relaxation to herself, words that would force her to get up and leave the area. She began to think of everything but that man's body and the pain that came from being the murderer. One big breath in and out was apparently all she needed. The pain had stopped; the heaviness of her limbs became light once more, she could feel life feeding its way back into her again.

She stared around at her surroundings; the dumpster she had used as her own personal shield, the childish graffiti on the opposite wall, the purr and rustle of stray cats weaving in and out of the piled high crates and boxes she assumed came from the dingy bar that lived around the corner and attracted some of the most peculiar people of Blüdhaven.

She didn't like this city, in fact she hated it. It was always so dirty, so angry; she had once compared her apartment block building to that of an irritated square giant with small windows for angry eyes and a smashed entrance double door as a sinister grin. It was childish to compare building with emotions, but it was one of her favourite things to do, she enjoyed making a game of things, it was easier to bare the more horrible things in life.

She crouched up slightly, resting her upper body on the weight of her muscular yet slim legs and listened intently to the scene unfolding on the roof above her.

"Dead as a doornail this one, little struggle maybe, seems like the attacker was after something. See the way his coat is unfolded?"

A groan of agreement was heard along with the footsteps of the police officers that she assumed were circling the body of the man she had just killed. She counted the footsteps in her head, three? Yes definitely three officers up there, more probably scoping the area around her. She was glad of her impeccable hearing skills at this moment, maybe master wasn't all that bad, he had taught her how to listen and be aware of things around her that other people didn't even realise.

"Take the body downtown, have the investigation team find out who this man is; who his family is, what his occupation is. We can go from there, find any links or vital information as to why he was targeted. This was certainly no accident."

And'r sighed quietly before lifting off into the air and away from the crime scene she had just created. The night air was bitter tonight, it whipped at her face as her Auburn locks danced around her head excitedly in the angry wind, she flew faster and faster until the sounds of sirens and police officers were heard no more. She needed a moment, a moment to gather herself and her thoughts and prioritise them.

What was that overwhelming head pain? Why hadn't she felt that before? She knew of no emotions other than pain and joy, the latter she had learned herself over the years. Pain was compulsory, pain was an indication that you are doing something right, or so she was taught. Slade had always told her that if she wasn't in pain; she wasn't trying hard enough.

The constant body combat that he put her through for weeks with no rest had taught her physical pain, the constant injections and emotional torture had taught her that pain can be both physical and mental. She looked ahead of her at two tall buildings and flew towards them, landing on the roof gently.

This place was completely deserted, a large space with only boxes and crates as occupants. Perfect, just what she needed. She walked over towards the larger crates and nestled her tiny body in and created a form of chair with the small boxes. The crates had created a shelter from the bitter wind, the boxes created a form of comfort for her; did she consider them…people? She shook her head at the thought and giggled slightly. Perhaps she was insane; she really had no one to talk to other than these cardboard TV boxes.

She ran her fingers through her long red hair slowly and closed her eyes letting out a quiet sigh. Arching her back she released her mane of hair and outstretched her arms up towards the sky. Why was she here when she could go home? There was really no need to be sitting in such squalled quarters, but she really didn't want to go back to that apartment. He was always watching her there.

Too caught up in her own head she didn't hear the family of rats that scuttled underneath her, or the brave one that had started to climb his way up her leg. The pitter-patter of something on her skin broke her out of her trance immediately and she yelped loudly, jumping up and knocking down her temporary house. Her eyes began to glow lime green quickly as she hovered up off the ground and aimed her fist towards the rat that clung to her leg, immediately the same green glow surrounded her fist and a ball of energy made contact with the rat and sent it flying back.

The once brave rats suddenly ran for their lives and separated, looking for a place to hide. Her glowing fist dimmed slowly as her super hearing picked up the sound of something approaching the rooftop; quickly she flew back towards the edge of the building staring ahead at the object that made the noise. She was quite far from it but she could make out the silhouette on the opposing rooftop; a person…a man! He approached her rooftop slowly as she backed further away. Should she attack? Was this a new assassination she hadn't been told about? The silhouette suddenly broke out into a sprint towards her, her heartbeat picked up tenfold, why was she scared?

"STOP!"

That voice. It was so familiar but so alien at the same time. She didn't know any other people outside of Slade and his very few hand-picked assassins and this voice didn't belong in that category, so why was she so drawn to it? Noticing the silhouette focus into perception she could see him more clearly.

_Black hair, black suit with a splash of blue on the front and a mask…oh what a muscular body. _

This person wore a mask too? Who was he? Why did he ignite this fear in her? She watched him leap from his previous rooftop to hers; he was so close it was terrifying yet thrilling at the same time.

And'r felt the heat in her cheeks ignite as he approached her slowly, he was stupidly close now, what was she still doing here? She knew she wasn't allowed to be seen by anyone other than her victims seconds before their death yet she stood in front of a being that she had never met before.

_You can't let him see you! Slade would be so angry, kill him! You have to kill him it's the only way._

She lifted up her arm and outstretched it towards him, producing a fist ready to ignite a blast of energy from it.

_Do it, take him out. Do it now!_

She battled with the voice inside her head, why was she hesitating?! She stared at the man in front of her, he wasn't hostile, he was…friendly. He wasn't here to hurt her at all, why should she hurt someone who wasn't a threat to her? The night was so dark it was hard to make out any facial features yet she could feel an ache in her chest for this man. Why did she feel so…familiar?

"I-Is it you?"

_He speaks! That wonderful voice spoke again! _

Her heart hammered in her chest heavily yet it felt like it was soaring through the sky at the same time, oh what a wonderful feeling this was! This was surely more than joy! Her wide eyes suddenly became watery and her mouth unusually dry, the wave of emotion was too much for her to withstand, she felt she could explode any second now!

Within a second, even before she had realised her body had even moved, And'r had retracted her arm and disappeared down the side of the building away from the man. She never heard him call out again to her, her entire body seemed it was about to shut down, her sight was blurry from the wetness that had gathered in her eyes, her head was pounding just as hard as her heart and it seemed her hearing had become muffled. This state she was in was almost dream like?

The second she swooped out of sight, an explosive bang cleared her muffled hearing; she turned her head to look towards the direction of the noise. Hesitant to find out the cause she decided to ignore it and made her way through the sky back to her apartment, if Slade was to find out someone had seen her she would be in a lot of trouble indeed.

* * *

The minute she reached her apartment block, she knew something wasn't right, and it wasn't just her distaste for the derelict building. She flew through the broken glass panes for doors and hovered above the stairs, there was never anyone around at this time other than hobos and drug addicts; neither would be believable witnesses to seeing a flying girl with long red hair.

She touched down on the third floor and walked slowly towards her door, its splintered wood and swinging 6 which looked like a 9 instead, hardly appealing even though the inside was nicely decorated. She entered her key slowly into the lock and turned the doorknob ever so gently, peeking around the door before she entered she saw nothing but her dark apartment. She let out a sigh of relief which was quickly muffled as she felt a hand cover her mouth and slam her face into the door she had just walked through, her hands binded by the strength of large hands that had her body pressed roughly on the wooden door.

"What did I say about keeping a low profile?"

The deep voice hissed in her ear like a poisonous serpent, his grip on her tightening as he shoved her against the door once more. Her red mane of hair hiding her frightened face, her cheek pressed up against the cold door she closed her eyes tightly before opening her mouth to speak.

"I-I'm sorry, I-I don't k-know how t-that happened"

A deep growl emerged from the depth of this throat as his right hand removed its self from her hands and buried itself in her tousled red hair, he held her skull in his hand tightly before slamming it against the door once more and took a step back, letting her small frame fall the floor slowly.

"Get up. You're pathetic little girl. Did you at least get the drug?"

He stared down at the small pile of matted auburn that lay in a ball on the floor, his stare burning into the back of her head as she nodded slowly.

"Y-Yes I have it here master" she outstretched her leg slowly and reached into her leather boots, pulling out a glass test tube from its holding place and quickly held it up towards him.

"Do you think I'm your slave girl? Stand up and hand it to me properly."

And'r rose quickly to her feet and handed the small glass tube to the commanding man slowly; too scared to look at him she kept her eyes on the ground away from his sinister gaze. The man snatched the bottle from her hand and roughly took hold of her cheeks, forcing her to look up at his masked face.

"Don't you ever be seen again by anyone, do you understand? I had to waste one of my precious grenades on blowing up a fucking TV store just to cause a distraction so you could get out of there. Do you realise how precious my weapons are? They are my children you foolish girl, and you just killed one of them."

Her large green eyes stared up at the man in fear as his every word caused a harder grip on her cheeks, she couldn't talk even if she wanted to. He sighed deeply before releasing his grip on her face and greeted the left side of her face with a hard slap.

"You disobey me again, I will kill you And'r. You ungrateful little bitch, I took care of you when you had nothing. I can send you right back to your miserable pit of loneliness."

Her face stung. Her eyes watered. She nodded. She kept her gaze on the ground as the reddening of her cheeks from the hit began to spread, how could she be so stupid. She nodded solemnly, her eyes brimming with gathered tears "Yes master."

Slade stared down at the diminished girl in front of him and nodded.

"I'll contact you again when I need you. Stay here, do not leave until I command otherwise" pressing a few buttons on his computer gadget arm computer he diminished into thin air as if he was a hologram.

And'r stared at the spot where her master had just disappeared and sighed, she had never felt so alone than she was right now. She wiped the tears from her face quickly and repositioned her cowardly form to that of a confident woman before walking to the bathroom and rinsing herself of Slade's wickedness.

* * *

**New York City - Titans Tower**

The once empty tower that was so famously known as the home of the legendary Teen Titans was beautifully decorated to that of a 1920's jazz bar. The walls were decorated with diamond shaped wallpaper, large golden chandeliers hung from the ceiling, an even larger Christmas tree stood in the centre of the room with golden baubles and twinkling lights, and the kitchen counter was replaced with a wooden surface bar and large collection of alcohol stocked in the glass cabinets behind the bar. In the far corner stood a table of refreshments along with some small tables and chairs, a beautiful sleek black piano stood at the opposite side of the bar; although there was no pianist for the night, Cyborg thought it added a certain touch to coincide with his theme.

Cyborg really had gone all out this year. The friendly half human half robot paced the room backwards and forwards impatiently, his hand scratching the back of his head constantly; his usual reaction to nervousness.

"Will you calm down already, the place looks great and everybody will be here soon."

Small delicate hands removed the large robotic hand from the man's head and took it into her own. Bumble Bee leaned up and kissed Cyborgs cheek gently as his other arm wrapped around her waist. Although the two were having difficulties at the moment, nothing was going to ruin tonight. Cyborg sighed and leaned down to peck her lips gently "You look wonderful" he stared down at his girlfriend in admiration, scanning her black silky flapper dress and black Christian Louboutin heels. Her black hair which once was gathered in two childish bunches now fell just above her shoulders, complimenting her large brown eyes.

She smiled up at him, she did indeed still adore this man but perhaps not in the way one would adore a lover, but tonight she would put her worries behind her on focus on her long-term friends and previous teammates.

"Music!" Cyborg bellowed and quickly ran over to his oversized sound system. He had considered a live jazz band to play tonight but the risk of exposing identities was too much. Everyone would be relaxed tonight, layers would be shed and superheroes would become regular people. Pressing a few buttons and twisting a couple of dials; jazz music began to flow out of the speakers. The smoothness of the saxophone combined with the bass was overwhelming and beautiful.

Victor smiled over at Karen and pulled her by the hand into a soft sway, the two smiled and laughed with one another as they enjoyed the music and each other's company for the first time in over a year.

"Hope we're not interrupting?"

Karen and Victor both turned towards the door and smiled as Raven and Garfield approached them, exiting the black Raven shaped portal. Raven wore a floor-length navy satin dress with spaghetti straps, her hair down as usual swaying at her collarbones with a black feathered silk headband places neatly on top, she wore dark eye shadow and eyeliner which complimented her violet eyes beautifully; Garfield wore a black tux, looking as handsome as ever with his green hair combed back neatly, although he had given up the cape, he still looked as muscular as ever.

Both Karen and Victor smiled and welcomed their childhood friends, Karen capturing Raven in a small but loving embrace and Garfield shaking his best friend's mechanical hand.

"It's good to see you again, both of you."

Each took a step back and nodded, Garfield scoped around the room and let a low comedic whistle,

"Jeez Cy, are you expecting the Queen of England or something?"

Victor laughed and shrugged his broad shoulders, "I figured we could use a theme this year, the tower was getting pretty empty and dark…so welcome to the 1920's!"

They all laughed and as the night went on more and more former Titans turned up, it was like they were all teenagers once more, goofing around like they used to, Aqualad, Speedy, Kid Flash, Wonder Girl, Herald, Pantha, Super Girl and many others circulating the room in their 1920's inspired outfits, catching up, gossiping and enjoying each other's company.

Three hours had passed and many of the Titans were feeling exciting the effects of alcohol and the sway of the music, Wally West had begun playing the piano terribly and singing just as badly accompanied by Donna Troy, some members of the League had even turned up including Superman, Batman, Wonder Woman, Green Lantern and Martian Manhunter.

Over in the quite corner of the room Raven stood talking with a slightly intoxicated Cyborg, holding her champagne flute delicately in her hand she spoke to him with such as ease over a serious topic.

"You think he's going to turn up, it's been three hours already?"

"Yeah. No doubt it about. I spoke with him the other day and he's real down about things at the moment…I told ya he split with Babs right?"

"Yes."

"Yeah, well he said he was excited about tonight; he turns up at the tower clad in Nightwing costume at 4am and I can feel his pain before he even begins to open his mouth. He's still hurting Rae, I know it's hard for him to accept but she's gone. She ain't coming back, I hope to god she just went back to Tamaran and is healthy and ok but either way…Star's gone. "

Raven looked up at her mechanical friend and noticed the pain in his eyes; he really was worried about Dick.

"No. She's not."

Both demon and cyborg turned to look at a dishevelled yet handsome Dick Grayson in a black tux, white shirt and matching black bow tie. Although dressed impeccably, his hair flopped over his masked eyes carelessly, his dark stubble visible. The shocked expression of his two best friends made a small smile on his lips as he neared them.

"I saw her. I saw her in Blüdhaven. Flying, glowing! I saw her."

His smile was almost contagious, both Raven and Victor wanting to believe the words but knowing they shouldn't, wanting to fall into the highly contagious trap that Starfire may actually still be alive but they couldn't.

"Dick…You know you didn't, we searched everywhere. If she is alive then she certainly isn't on earth anymore-"

"No Raven I saw her! I swear on my own life it was her!"

His altered voice caused many looks and stares from those around the room, within a second those closest to him had appeared right next to him. Wally placed a hand on Dick's shoulder gently, Garfield approaching right behind Raven.

"Hey man, how about we go talk about this somewhere else? Or better yet another time…" Wally looked over at the beautiful amazon Diana, there was no way he could ever buy enough of her time but tonight he would try his best.

Dick turned around to face Wally quickly, placing both hands on his shoulders he shook him gently "Wally, I saw her; Starfire. She's here on earth, she's alive and she was flying and glowing and-"

"Enough."

All eyes turned to a newly approached stern Bruce Wayne. Arms folded across his expensive tux, he looked unimpressed as always but even more so right now.

"That's enough Dick. Look at you, you're a mess. I've had enough of this Starfire fascination, she's dead. Move on with your life."

Bruce's words cut Dick like a knife but he shook his head in defiance, he released his grip on Wally and turned to look at Bruce square in the eyes.

"No. I genuinely saw her Bruce, I know you want me to be cold hearted like you, but I won't. I saw her, three nights ago on a rooftop in Blüdhaven. She was really there, I chased her but she was…frightened. She was different but it was her."

He turned his attention to Raven, grabbing her hands in his making her drop her flute of champagne to the ground "Please Raven, please believe me. Please look for her, come back to Blüdhaven with me tonight and we can look together; please Raven!"

Raven looked at Dick with sympathy, of course she wanted to believe it was true, that her best friend was alive after all these years of silence but it seemed too good to be true. She looked at her friend and former leader, the way he was pleading, begging her to help; she didn't want to get his hopes up just to shatter them all over again. She sighed slowly "Dick…I-"

Garfield stepped in front of Raven quickly, placing a hand on his desperate friend's shoulders. "We'll do it. We'll come with you. If you say you saw her, I have no reason to not believe you. You knew her better than any of us did, you'd know if it was her."

Raven looked over at her husband's confident demeanour and smiled lightly placing a small hand over Dick's. "If you truly believe it was her, I also have no reason to doubt you. But you really need to pull yourself together, Nightwing can't lose his cool like this; what would the bad guys think?" she winked comically at him and smiled; Dick stood straight and embraced his two friends. Cyborg placed a hang on his friends back and nodded, agreeing to the re-opened search mission.

Bruce stared ahead at them all, now accompanied by a suited Clark Kent. "You're all fools. If we never got over any of our deceased do you think the League would still be around today? Your priorities should come first Dick; you are Nightwing, not a fan boy obsessed with a dead superhero. How can I trust you to look over Blüdhaven with your head in the clouds? How can the city be safe with you as their saviour?"

Bruce's words struck Dick but he remained his strong and confidence self, exiting the group hug he turned to face his mentor and adoptive father.

"My priorities will not alter; I will still remain protector over Blüdhaven. I work in the shadows, always have; there is no need for the press or anyone to question me or my motives. I am hardly seen in the media, no one expects anything of me other than to take out bad guys; and that I will continue to do. There is a strong possibility that my soul mate is still alive after all these years of loneliness, I cannot and will not ignore it."

Dick stared Bruce in the face, not expecting him to back down but to at least respect him somewhat, to which he didn't. He stood up straight, smoothed down his bow tie and walked past Bruce and Clark heading towards the bar; he stopped briefly and turned back to his former team;

"Thank you. If we do find her I will never be able to repay you all enough. If it's ok with you, we fly to Blüdhaven tonight after the party?"

All three nodded, and all three felt a pang of anxiousness and excitements stir in their broken hearts.


	6. Chapter 6

**Chapter 6**

**Titans Tower**

Clutching the edge of the wooden bar roughly, small broken fingernails created splinters in the hard mahogany surface, chips of wood escaping from the newly opened wounds of the wood. The hand that the broken nails belonged to shook uncontrollably, the arm that belonged to the hand also in a nervous spasm of anxiety.

The tanned hand glided across the polished surface slowly stopping abruptly. Flesh on glass; cold from the three large cubes of ice that floated atop the golden pool of Whisky which swayed beautifully in the glass tumbler. Under the slow-swinging bright lights from maroon metal lamp shades that hung in the bar area, everything looked vivid, everything looked clinical. Pink cuts that were now visible under the watchful eye of the lamp illuminated on the shaking hand as it clutched the glass desirably, large fingers tightened around it as it flew up slowly towards the mouth of the uneasy former titan.

His eyes were raw and stinging beneath the fabric of the necessary mask; his face a vision of brokenness, his cheekbones gaunt under these medical lamps that shone on his tousled black hair. His posture curved and hunched over in the black leather bar stool that comforted his restless suited body. Chucking his head back along with the newly poured whisky, his mind drifted to the recent encounter with Bruce a few moments ago. He had managed to calm himself during the conversation but now he had returned to the restlessness that had consumed his body since his encounter with her.

Gulp.

The cold liquid burnt down his throat quickly, he needed the coolness to soothe his burning body but the whisky became lava in his trachea. Victor had really gone all out with this theme, even the whisky was lethal. Avoiding the sudden burn, Dick turned in his chair to scan the room of civilized superheroes.

His best friend Wally stood closest to him by the opposite side of the bar, his green eyes excited by the presence of the black-haired Amazon that stood in front of him at a distance with arms crossed. One arm leaning against the same mahogany bar, the other moving along with his quick-witted mouth; Wally's flirtatious posture showed confidence and strategy but his eyes gave away his delight. Diana stood opposite him in all her alluring glory. Standing an inch taller than the red-head with her toned body contained by a lilac knee-length dress, she yawned.

Dick's lined lips turned up slightly.

Over at the other side of the warm-lit room Raven, Garfield, Victor and Garth stood in a small circle laughing and chattering about the adventurous past. Garth still known as Aqualad often bragging about his latest mission and mishaps with the newest criminals in the underwater world; Garfield laughing along with him at some of the villain's stupidity but a secret envy sparked within the green man.

At the opposite length of the room Karen stood leaning against the grand piano, an expressive smile on her lips as she looked a little too intently at Malcolm as his fingers danced slowly over the keys creating a beautifully soft and sophisticated melody that played unnoticed throughout the room of chatter.

Dick slammed the newly empty glass tumbler down on the bar and stood to his feet, the wooden legs of the leather seated bar stool scraping across the brown linoleum square patterned floor of the bar space. He had already pinpointed the whereabouts of each superhero in the tower tonight and Bruce was nowhere to be seen, perhaps he had left in a burst of rage.

A large hand suddenly landed on his shoulder, pushing him back down into the warmth of his leather comfort. Dick turned his head swiftly in the direction of the newcomer to see a smiling Wally West.

"How about we get you another drink old friend?"

Dick smiled slightly at his childhood friend as he took a seat behind him on the next stool. Wally leaned over the bar into the inside shelf, bringing a bottle of Glenmorangie and another glass tumbler back out with him on to the surface. Dick shook his head at his friend's alcoholic encouragement and pushed his previous tumbler towards its crystal companion.

"How can anyone resist your Ginger charms West."

Wally smiled, picking up the glass bottle of Whisky he poured the golden liquid into the two tumblers slowly; the smooth liquid gliding into the comfort of the solid short-cut cylinders. He looked over at his distant friend, studying the shadow of the man that sat next to him. He noticed the shadows under his masked eyes, the roughness of his unshaven face and the tremble of his hand as it reached for the glass; he couldn't help but frown. This wasn't the Dick Grayson he knew, this wasn't the Dick Grayson anyone knew; this was the walking corpse of him.

"Down in one boy blunder!"

Dick laughed slightly and chucked the liquid down his already burning throat quickly.

* * *

Bow ties thrown off, top buttons unfastened, tuxedo jackets thrown on the floor and shirts disheveled, a drunken Wally West and even more intoxicated Dick Grayson sat in the same leather seats at the same wooden bar two hours later.

Pouring the last of the second bottle of Glenmorangie into two finger-greased tumblers, Wally laughed loudly smacking his free hand down on the bar loudly. Both wailing in laughter and chatter, the pair had not noticed that the Titan common room had emptied considerably. All members of the League had long departed, along with some titans who had traveled long distances to get to Jump City.

"I s-saw her man, I-I truly did"

Gulp. Slam. Refill.

"What the hell ya t-talking about Grayson?"

"Starfire. No one believes me b-but she's back!"

Dick swung back on his chair playfully, a smile stuck to his lips as he spoke of his missing love; his callous fingers gripping the wooden edge of the bar as his lower body swayed back and forth. Smiling at his newly revived best friend, Wally poured another round of golden greatness.

Gulp. Slam. Refill.

"I don't know dude, it's been-it's been four years, if s-she was here don't ya think one of us would have seen her floating around?"

The swinging ceased to a stop, the cheerful smile evaporated slowly as his deliriously content mind landed back to the ground along with his feet. Eyes darted downwards and the chipped mahogany suddenly looked interesting.

"I know I sound crazy and irrational with this, hell the entire Titan Network think I'm insane…but it was her. When I thought she had…died…I never acted this crazy, I continued on, I tried my hardest to move on with Babs; sure that didn't work out but I was never this outspoken with my feelings. I know it's her Wally, I know it."

* * *

_Red silk._

_Tickling my face, neck shoulders…everywhere! A giggle, yes I know that giggle anywhere, no one can fake that giggle it's so familiar and…enticing. I opened my eyes slowly, a smile plastered on my face without me realising, was I flying? Everything felt so euphoric. This is fantastic! _

_Why is this red silk tickling me so much? I hate being tickled but I can't help but allow it. A loud husky laugh escaped my throat quickly and the red silk continued to drape itself around my face. I looked around, nothing but blackness. There is no floor? No walls, no ceiling, nothing! _

_That giggle!_

_I closed my eyes slowly, the smile still present as I let the luxurious red silk wrap me up and whisk me away, I don't even care where I go right now I just want to be wrapped in this silk forever listening to this soft giggle._

_"Close your eyes Robin."_

_Those words coming from that mouth sounded exactly what I expect angels to sound like. So soft and soothing, did it just call me Robin? Oh fuck, this was so incredible, maybe I died. I did what the angelic voice told me and closed my eyes slowly noticing my eyes were strangely unmasked._

_The whirlwind of red silk kept me hovered in the air and constantly moving around the blackness that surrounded me, lifting me higher and higher, I felt dizzy from the sudden anti-gravity. So nauseous yet so content and happy at the same time, was that even possible?_

_Movement subsided to stillness. Even with my eyes shut tightly I could tell I was no longer in darkness anymore. There was a certain brightness that burnt my eyelids, not painful but not pleasurable. My eyes opened slowly, taking in my new surroundings._

_White. So brilliantly white, not clinical and terrifying white; pure white; heavenly white. Softness brushed my forearms delicately, falling from above now on to my neck; I know this feeling, its feathers. Why are there feathers?_

_As I tilted my head back my face pointed upwards to the warped illusion of a white circular tunnel that seemed never-ending. My mouth opened slightly in awe until another soft presence found itself on my wrist. I moved my head back down and looked at my wrist._

_A small petite tanned hand clutched it gently._

_My lips turned up, my heart thumped, my sound became muffled._

_"Oh Robin, I knew you would come"_

_She cooed in my ear, I leaned back quickly to take in her full presence and our surroundings._

_We were sat on something soft; a bed of feathers would be the rational way to describe it. Large white feathers fell around us, they seemed to have stopped landing on our heads and surrounded us in this feathered bed, none of them finding a ground to fall on; where did they go? They moved so slowly and peacefully, everything was peaceful here in this white room._

_I turned back to look at the woman in front of me, she sat up straight, her legs crossed and her body positioned to face me. She was wearing a white linen dress; the straps were so thin and fell on her tan shoulders beautifully. The dress was long, but I could see her orange long legs peeking out from beneath the white thin fabric. Her long red hair fell behind her head; running down her back. Her once short bangs grew longer, curving at her breast. She was beautiful. _

_Her slim hand somehow found my face and she caressed my cheek gently, my heart thudded in my chest painfully; telling me not to look into her eyes. Why not? I loved her eyes the most. _

_"Look at me Robin; you do not care for me anymore?"_

_My eyes kept low, my heart dropping lower. Guilt consuming every bone in my body, even my teeth felt shaky. Why couldn't I look at her? _

_Her long fingers caressing both my cheeks now, but I still kept my head low. I felt her sit up on her knees and move toward me, her once restrained red hair swept to the front of her body. I focused on the ends, how they curled naturally; I realized this was the red silk that had brought me here in the first place. The caresses became firmer. _

_"Robin."_

_The ring in her voice reminded me of a harp, so light and feminine; an accessory to the angels. _

_My head won, my heart lost. I looked up slowly at the woman who had hold of my heart for so many years. My eyes were still down, but my head up. Be brave, you can do this. I drew in a deep breath and slowly focused my eyes upwards._

_What I saw terrified me. This wasn't right._

_Her eyes not the brilliant green I had once remembered, her lips not plump and inviting like they used to be, the luminosity that consumed her golden face had faded completely. _

_No. _

_The eyes in front of me were hollow, dead even. No green held in them whatsoever, only hollow black circles for eyes. No pupils, no iris; just black. Her face was cut and bruised along her cheekbones, her lips chapped and bleeding._

_I stared at the woman in front of me in horror._

_"Robin, what is it?"_

_Her voice was still the same, but this wasn't my Starfire. How dare this monster take her voice! I felt my heartbeat increase rapidly, my mouth so dry, the palms of my hands sweaty, the blood in my face disappearing._

_Despite the horror, my eyes would not look away from the face; the darkness that had consumed her eyes. Her fingers had slid from my face and subsided on my shoulders shaking me gently. I could hear her still calling my name in that angelic vocal cord. Had I blinked yet?_

_Oh god, I wanted this to stop. I wanted the white tunnel above my head to suck me up and never let me fall back down here again. _

_Finally unfixed from her broken face, my eyes darted down noticing the fresh wet blood stains that consumed the white linen dress slowly, growing like a flower in spring. _

_No no no no. This was all wrong, there isn't supposed to be blood! She isn't supposed to be bleeding! My heart ached terribly in my quivering chest as I leaned away from the bloodied woman who clung to me for dear life._

_She crawled closer to me, I backed away. My arms becoming legs as I paced backwards quickly, nearing the edge of the feathered bed, she came closer. Blood poured from her black eyes now; I was crying too I could feel reintroduced wetness on my cheeks. My hand clutched the edge of the bed tightly, her body weight pushing on me as she came closer, another push from her I would be over the edge!_

_Her bloodied face neared my own, my tears on constant flow. My heart broke at the sight of her, so broken, so scared and so desperate for my attention. Fear had consumed me completely, how could I be scared of the woman I claimed to love so much, what a coward I am. _

_Tears of emotional pain and anguish stained my cheeks, her body nearly on top of mine. There was nowhere to run, I had reached the edge. One quick pull and I would be over the edge and into the white oblivion beneath us; we both would be. One quick pull and I would be away from this suffering and torment! _

_My voice cracked from the soreness that lived in my throat._

_"I'm so sorry Star."_

_I pulled._

_Fuck, my head hurts. _

_My mouth feels so dry, what the hell did I eat before bed? _

_What time is it? _

_Have I been poisoned? Eurgh, my eyes are so heavy._

_ I hope it's not bright out; do I really need to open my eyes? _

_Why am I spinning? Oh shit, have I been kidnaped? _

_Wouldn't put it past Joke to pull a spinning wheel trick. _

_Nah, feels too soft; must be bed…_

_What the hell is that smell?_

"I see you've finally woken."

Pale and horror-stricken, Dick shot up instantly from the crumpled unslept bed. Matted in sweat and alcohol in last night's clothes his eyes darted to the door at the other side of the room to see a peeking Raven's head round the corner.

"I uh…what are you doing here?"

Raven sighed a breath of hopelessness and entered the dark room, making her way over to the other side of the room she grasped the metal puller string to the black blinds and twisted. Dick shielded his eyes quickly, avoiding the intense bright light from the sun as if it was the plague.

"Shit Raven, you could have at least prepared me for that."

Dick stood to his feet slowly, regaining his still drunken balance slowly and clutched his head tightly. His creased white shirt stuck to him like a second layer of skin, his trousers unfastened but still managing to stay up and his jacket and bow tie…were nowhere to be seen. Moving pillows and sheets back, he began searching for his missing pieces, scratching his head in the process.

"Pretty sure you left them back at the tower, along with your dignity."

The empath stood smugly in front of the window, her arms crossed over her chest as the sun illuminated the strong lilac shade of her hair. She looked over at Dick and his confused demeanor and couldn't help but smile a little. Only Kid Flash could crack a smile and gain an amorous laugh from the crazed Dick Grayson last night.

Her feet lifting up from the wooden floor, she hovered out of the room; stopping briefly to peek around the metal framed door once more before leaving;

"Get showered and dressed. We're all in the kitchen waiting; I wouldn't be too long; Vic and Gar have already emptied two shelves in your fridge."

Dick nodded, a wave of nausea enveloping him suddenly. He had forgotten all about his outburst and the declaration to find his love in front of everyone last night.

Why on earth did he drink so much? He didn't even want to think about what was in the bottle he had downed before he even set off for the party.

Running a hand through his matted black hair he plonked himself back down on to the squidgy foam mattress, his hand slide from his head to the front of his face as the other one joined it. Sighing into this pit of darkness he began to mentally prepare himself to stand up, cross the room, enter the en-suite bathroom and shower. It seemed like too hard a job with his brain being battered and beaten by this intrusive headache.

He opened one eye and peeked through the cracks of his fingers, his small wooden bedside table suddenly became interesting. Leaving his dark pit of requirement he pulled out the top drawer of the table, and pulled out a black photo frame.

His pupils became further dilated as a small smile crossed his mouth as he studied the photograph intently. It was him and Starfire when they were sixteen. Squished together in a forced photo at the park, his face was knotted in a slightly twisted smile from one of her famous bone crushing hugs; he smiled. He sure was a lot stronger now.

His stomach knotted suddenly.

_Starfire…the dream!_

Dick shoved the photograph back in the drawer quickly, he felt nauseous at the sudden reminder of his dream. Dizziness exceeding his drunkenness, fear exceeding his guilt of his antics from the night before; he had let her down again. Even in a dream, he had failed to reach out to her.

Covering his parched mouth with his pale hand he stared at the painted white wall in front of him in disbelief. His eyes clouded over with memories of her before she left. He was so horrible to her, told her to stop pestering him and let him get on with his life in Blüdhaven.

_How could I do that to her? How was I to know that that would be the last time I would see her?_

The nausea that had been building in his stomach since his wake suddenly erupted, and in a swift movement he was huddled over his old porcelain white friend in the bathroom.

Running his hand through his mangled fringe slowly, he propped himself up on the plastic white toilet seat. He was definitely going to be here for a while.

Raven was going to be pissed.

* * *

It was so cold in here. Everything was metal; so clinically clean and completely sinister. White painted walls, white tile floor, metal cold examination bed, silver medical equipment lining the pristine walls around her.

And'r looked around the room slowly. She had been here before, many times in fact and it had never changed. Always depressing, always confusing. She always seemed to remember getting here but never leaving.

Her red hair contrasted so drastically with the white ambiance and interior of the room. Everything was so…modern. Metal, plastic and chrome everywhere; trendy shaped tables and chair legs, integrated spotlights implanted into the ceiling shining so bright and illuminating her colourful presence.

She lay strapped to the metal bed plate, turned slightly at a vertical angle. Thick black Kevlar straps restrained her arms down to her sides, and metal shackles fastened around her ankles. Why she needed to be restrained during these procedures, she never knew. Slade had a strange way of working.

She turned her head slightly; studying the small wheeled table next to the bed, an assortment of medical equipment lay scattered on blue cloth. A collection of syringes, scalpels, scissors and other tools she could not identify.

The cold metal pressed against her exposed back, the paper white gown tied loosely at her hips to cover her bottom and front. Never once had she thought to question Slade's motives, but today she saw things differently, started to question Slade's line of work. Not just today, the past few days. Her encounter with the strange male on the rooftop had left a permanent scar in her memory; he didn't seem to want to kill her like Slade had told her.

_Could he be lying?_

Thoughts were cut short as a metal door wished open; revealing a small weedy old man wearing enlarged spectacles and a white lab coat. He walked hesitantly over to And'r, as if he was frightened of her somehow.

And'r studied his white whispy hair and his cowardly body language strangely; his hands shook as they clung to a black clipboard tightly. He pulled up a metal stool and positioned himself in front of the metal bed plate that And'r laid upon, his eyes never leaving the papers on the clipboard. She studies the lines that clung to his baggy pigmented skin, the worry and concern that lived in his brow. If anything, he needed more medical attention than she did.

She knew better than to ask questions, so she lay in silence.

"I-I assume you know why I am here. I-I will be c-carrying out your procedure today."

His voice cracked, almost breaking into a weep right there and then in front of her.

And'r nodded slowly.

The old man scanned the room from left to right slowly, before leaning closer to her and speaking in a barely audible whisper.

"Y-You are not here by choice either are you young lady?"

Her eyes grew in surprise; no one had ever conversed with her before like this. No one had ever asked questions or even acknowledged that she was a living being.

She spoke in a stutter of hushed words. "I-I, w-what does this procedure do exactly? You can tell me, yes?"

The man looked at her with eyes full of concern and sorrow. He knew this wasn't right; humans could not even withstand this drug, never mind two doses of it a month. He couldn't diminish this woman in front of him, she seemed so vulnerable.

He sat on his stool of disappointment and sighed heavily, this man Slade had threatened his family; killed his wife all because he refused to be a part of such disturbing experiments on innocents. Dr Barrow had reached his tether when Slade had held his children at gunpoint, and gave in to his wickedness.

Slade's wickedness had scarred this man deeply, not physically but emotionally. He was theoretically alive but his soul was dead; a walking corpse.

Yet here he sat, as adamant as ever not to be a part of it. The young woman in front of him probably had a good life, and he was about to take away all of her memories, all of her humanity. What he hadn't realized; is that it had been done to her already, many times.

"Y-Your memories, they will be taken from you. I-I don't know what he plans to do with you but you won't remember your life, family, friends etc. A part of your humanity will be corrupted with violence instead of good will. I-I cannot do this to you."

He buried his head in his wrinkled hands as a quite weeping noise escaped him.

"Oh, you should not worry. I have no family or friends, nor do I have memories of any sort."

And'r shuffled her feet the best she could in the restrained shackles, her eyes showcasing the compassion she felt for this male stranger.

The reassurance in her voice pushed him over the edge.

_This poor girl had undergone so many of these procedures; she no longer knew who she was._

His shoulders heaved forward in pain for the woman. His thoughts battled against each other, he had to save this innocent woman. This evil man had hurt enough people; he couldn't allow any more pain on innocents.

"I am going to explain a few things to you my dear."

The old man leaned closer to And'r, gently reaching out and touching her forearm with his trembling hands.

She instantly reacted to the contact.

This wasn't the kind of human contact she had ever encountered before; she looked down at the hand that had positioned itself on her arm. No pushing, pulling or scratching or running away. It was…gentle and kind.

_What an odd feeling this is._

The man continued "I fear you may have lost a lot of your memories over the time you have been here. This man…he has asked me to re-position and reprogram a technical chip that is implanted inside your brain. He implanted this a while ago by the sound of it. It appears that every month he has been injecting you with a special substance, usually clear in colour; this liquid intensifies anger and diminishes good thoughts….makes people primitive. The chip when activated controls your memories. He can do what he pleases with them, including get rid of them."

The man leaned forward and picked up a clear substance filled syringe, showing it to the woman in front of him.

"This is it; I refuse to inject you with this. A-Am I correct in believing you are not human?"

And'r stared at the man in front of her blankly, her mind racing at a thousand miles per second.

_Could this be true? This man seems so sincere and kind?!_

"No human body could withstand this amount of this specific drug. I would like to help you; help us both if I can…to get away from this monster."

Her stare on the man was a cocktail of shock and horror. Her brain hadn't stopped buzzing since the words had first left his mouth, echoing in her ears, dancing in her stomach.

_"I fear you may have lost a lot of your memories over the time you have been here."_

Her mouth agape in confusion, her voice finally found itself.

"I-I…T-This cannot be true. Slade is my master, my only companion in this world. H-He…I-I cannot believe h-he would…"

His grip tightened, but still remained gentle.

"Sweetheart, you do not want to be working for a man like him. He is bad, he hurts innocent people, and he kills for his own entertainment. And unfortunately he isn't the first; there are many villains here in Blüdhaven, more in Gotham but evil all the same. H-He killed my wife because I refused to help him."

The man removed his hand from And'r, wiping away at his spilled tears that escaped his thick-rimmed lenses.

And'r watched as the man wept for his beloved deceased in front of her. She had never seen such a show of passion before. Her heart ached at the sight of him heaving and sniffing, she wanted to join him in his display of emotions but she knew she couldn't.

"What is your name?"

He looked up from his hands, looking at her again.

"Bill. Bill Watson. I'm a retired professor at the local University; I used to teach pharmacology before I retired."

He smiled through the tears and laughed with a snort as he shook his head.

"I loved that job ya know, teaching and helping young people. I could never be a superhero like Batman or Nightwing…but teaching was enough for me."

And'r nodded, pretending to agree with what he was saying. She knew nothing of a Batman or Nightwing but they sounded like idols to this man.

He continued "I only retired cos of the cancer ya know. Joan -my wife- had told me to take some time off. Didn't expect to be terminal and have to retire so soon."

He was so full of pain and misery, yet earlier he had expressed such happiness when speaking about his occupation. How could he be so happy when such sadness plagued him? Her heart really was aching for this man, he had been through so much and here he was being forced to do something he did not want to do.

He gained his composure suddenly and studied the syringe closely.

"Okay, well we don't have much time left before things start to become suspicious in here. So here's what we're going to do. I'll take the hit of the drug. He'll think I've given it to you and let you leave. Once you're out of here, go get help. Not police help; Batman help, superhero help. God knows they're the only people that could take a bastard like him down."

And'r shook her head diligently; there was no way she could let this man do this for her. Her thought process began to slow down as realizations hit. If this man had been lying about Slade, what would he gain from taking the drug himself? He said it was extremely dangerous, and to take it whilst having a terminal illness seemed irrational.

_He really does want to help._

* * *

**_AN_**

**_A little thank you to those who have reviewed/favorited/followed, ya'll so kind!_**


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